My own "True Life"

MTV may have gone off the deep end (sorry Lauren Conrad followers) with their bevy of reality shows, but one of the few shows that remains refreshing is their "True Life" series.  Always entertaining, whether they are following soldiers coming back from Iraq or overweight teenagers, one of the most interesting episodes was "True Life: I'm moving back home."  The show chronicled three young adults as they moved back in with their parents after stints of independence.  Even though I came home with a duffle bag and a small suitcase (and no intention of ever moving back in) - that show has been feeling all too familiar in my own life over the past 3 1/2 weeks.

Independence, like many other aspects of life, is a funny thing in that you don't truly appreciate it until it is taken away from you.  Living in my own studio apartment by myself for the past 8 months has worked out great for me.  It's nice to come home to your own space after work.  I have a gym down the street.  I have a nice TV.  My bed is comfortable.  Cool, right?  Well, mix one part surgery, one part recovery, one part short term disability, and one part recuperating at your parents house and that nice little world (of independence) that I've created for myself has all of a sudden disappeared.  But, what could be so bad - it's just taking it easy at home with the 'rents for a few weeks?  Well, New York City has a reputation for being the "city that never sleeps," and as cliche as that saying is, it still spawned from some sort of truth.  Unfortunately for me, my house in suburban New Jersey really really values sleep, and I'm not exactly used to being yelled at for watching TV too loud past 9:30.

Most important, however, hasn't been the mild noise violations I have incurred, but rather my slowly but surely returning need for independence that is being thwarted by the parental influence that reigns supreme at 22 Olden Drive.  As I find myself able to move around more and more, I also find myself butting heads with the powers that be as if I was 16 again.  Just like the MTV series portrayed, it's not easy for grown children to take orders again after they have come so accustomed to living on their own dime and own itinerary.  Hey, I love my parents and they're great, but there is a point where enough is enough and it goes without saying that the itch to get back to living on my own feels like the product of a full fledged head to toe rash at this point.